Fuel Efficiency in the Road Transport Sector

SELECTED PROJECT ACTIVITIES/RESULTS

• Initially 15 tune up demonstration and training centers were to be established in various cities around the country. However, this target was subsequently enhanced to establish 30 tune-up centers. The first group of centers was established at Islamabad (2), Rawalpindi (2), Quetta ,Karachi (4), Lahore (2), Peshawar (3), Multan, Hyderabad, Abbotabad, Sialkot, Gujranwala.
• ENERCON (the National Energy Conservation Center), the implementing agency for the project, was responsible for promoting energy conservation and efficiency improvements in all sectors of the economy at the national level. The project helped to strengthen the capability of ENERCON to plan and implement energy conservation projects in the private sector on a national scale, obtain better information on the status of the automotive industry and current practices, build a core capability of technical expertise on modern instrumented methods of engine analysis, and develop its position as the premier organization responsible for energy efficiency improvements in Pakistan's road transport sector in the country.
• A revolving loan fund of $3.0 million for the purchase of advanced tune-up and diagnostic equipment by workshop owners and mechanics was provided to support the market in its initial stages of growth. The funds were designed to finance purchase of tune-up equipment for approximately 25 diesel and 90 gasoline tune-up stations. The project also provided technical support and training to the workshop owners acquiring equipment under the loan program.
  Since workshop owners in Pakistan generally do not have access to capital, so the availability of credit helped accelerate the adoption of advanced engine diagnostic technologies by the private sector. Re-payment periods ranged from three to five years, depending on the size of the loan.
• A total of fifteen specialized studies were undertaken in the final phase of this project and the results be presented to the Government of Pakistan to enable specific policy changes and to guide future activities of the various agencies involved in the Pakistan's motorized road transport sector. The studies were:
  • Existing instrumented tune-up facilities in Pakistan;
  • Improving vehicular emission standards in Pakistan;
  • Strengthening the institution of motor vehicle examiners in Pakistan;
  • Institutionalized training of drivers and controlling agencies in Pakistan;
  • Vehicles operating on CNG in the country - installation of CNG kits, their operation and maintenance and safety aspects;
  • Impact of fuel (gasoline and diesel) quality on fuel efficiency and emissions;
  • Emissions reduction and fuel conservation through fleet management;
  • Assessment of current levels of fuel efficiency in the road transport sector;
  • Self-regulation to control overloading of trucks by the trucking industry in the country;
  • Analysis of operating costs of cargo trucks in the private sector;
  • Implementation of National highway Safety Ordinance 2000 and its ticketing system for traffic violations;
  • Energy efficiency and activities of other organizations, especially in the road transport sector of the country;
  • Conversion of diesel vehicles to CNG and related issues
  • Modal shift in favour of HCVS (high capacity vehicles).

Training

• Two-day training workshops were conducted for automobile workshop owners, entrepreneurs and individual investors, in the ten major cities where the demonstration centres had been established - Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. Courses were also run for mechanics.
  
  The course dealt with issues such as vehicular emissions, environmental and health aspects, existing tune-up practices, introduction of state-of- the-art tune-up equipment with its features and benefits, cost benefit analysis, establishment of computerized tune-up center as a small business and related marketing strategies.
  
  Three-week training courses were also offered to mechanics at training centres and colleges in Lahore, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and   Gujranwala.
  
• As a result of these Training Workshops, 1,396 participants were trained. Qualifying Trainees were awarded a certificate from UNDP, ENERCON and the National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE) Islamabad.

Public awareness

• A nation-wide publicity and awareness campaign aimed at vehicle owners was conducted in the national media to encourage the general public to tune-up their vehicles
• The project's website contains tips on economic driving, vehicle maintenance, wheel alignment and tyre maintenance; wheel balancing, wheel alignment and diesel engine diagnostics.
• The project's press conferences have also been used to promote the possible future introduction of non-polluting fuel cell technology vehicles

Gender sensitivity

• The project's awareness programmes encouraged female drivers and owners to act independently in using the services offered by the new tune up stations. It offered training in gender sensitivity for workshop owners, supervisors and mechanics and hoped that this training would also encourage women to take up employment and establish businesses in road transport sector.

Partners etc

ENERCON; the National Energy Conservation Centre http://www.enercon.gov.pk/ ; Ministry of Environment (http://www.pakistan.gov.pk); Local Government and Rural Development http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/

Dedicated project website: http://www.enercon.gov.pk/ferts/index.htm

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